Distortion
by Evil Towel
Summary: A pre-Chapter Black story. Sequel to Disproportion; second in the Dedication series. A conversation between Itsuki and Sensui reveals many things Hagiri never suspected...including that "accidental" fire. Exactly why is he willing to go along with this?


This is the second part in the Dedication series. There should be a sequel (title pending, currently thinking Discontinuation) coming up shortly.

**Disclaimer: What, we own stuff? Since when? ...since never? That's what I thought.**

This is dedicated to my friend **Ningen1**....or Hellspindle...or whatever her new name is, because she's been bugging me to try something different and write yaoi for the longest time. At first I was reluctant, because I never really got why it made sense. Now....it does. In summary, this is dedicated to the girl who brought me over to "the Dark Side"....I already said who.

And in case you can't read between the lines, **THIS STORY CONTAINS VERY OBVIOUS YAOI IMPLICATIONS. Not as obvious as "Forevermore", but still there.**

((This is also written in response to a question Arashi asked, wondering why Hagiri was willing to go along with Sensui's plan. Here's my take.))

**Distortion**

"They believed you."

"Why shouldn't they?" Sensui stood on the shore of the small lake, watching as Itsuki calmly lit the numerous candles that would burn inside his boat.

"I never expected less." No special reason for the candles—they were just there to give calm. Peace. Irony. "Clever, how you manipulated them like that." Minoru's work, probably—he was the orator, after all.

"Yes." He was thinking again, Itsuki knew. He knew everything about him—every little habit, every little quirk, every little change Mr. Sensui went through. Humans were just so interesting... "I must admit, I was reluctant to follow Kazuya's idea, but it all worked out—however barbaric it was." Ah, yes—Kazuya. The one who did things the others couldn't stomach. He wasn't Itsuki's particular favorite, oh no.

"The gangsters, as well?" The match flame extinguished with a delightful little poof. Such a _clever_ human contraption...

Sensui shook his head. "Only the fire. Even Kazuya was shocked at how bad it turned—if we hadn't recruited Kamiya, the whole plan would have fallen to pieces right then and there."

"It certainly was a shock," Itsuki admitted, "When you carried him in here, I thought for sure he was dead."

"Which _really_ gave the others food for thought." Sensui was quite obviously satisfied with himself. "With things like these happening, who needs the Chapter Black tape?"

"Lady Fate is kind to us."

Sensui smirked. "Who needs fate, when you're working with such gullible people? Except for perhaps Kamiya, they don't seem to have an inkling of what they're getting into. They only think that together, they can solve the problem of humankind. They have no idea that together, they are only helping to bring about their deaths—and that if all goes well, they shall die together at the apocalypse they helped to create." He laughed. "Who needs fate, when all they need is a little push to drive them in the direction required?"

"And so after you have them watch the infamous tape, you set his home on fire; he comes to the only other place he could call home, which gives the rest of them an opportunity to see mankind's worst in action. Very clever, Mr. Sensui." _With every move you make, you take your pawns closer to checkmate. Soon it shall be too late for them—too late for me, as well. Mr. Sensui, can you not see what this shall do to us? You only speed up your death in the hopes of achieving an impossible wish. _A light sigh left the demon's body as he settled himself down in his boat, golden eyes briefly meeting blue standing on the shore. _Only for you, Mr. Sensui. Only for you._

Around the corner, a tunnel or so back, Hagiri sat down. Hard, on the cold cave floor. He never believed—he couldn't believe this. Sensui was—he was going to _kill _them? To make this tunnel?

He figured as much...if these demons could bring judgment on the world, surely they wouldn't hesitate to kill the ones who brought them here? If they were that heartless...he figured as much, but he hadn't wanted to believe Sensui would let them...let them actually _die_?

Hard as that was to believe, it was harder to believe Sensui had started the fire that caused Mitarai to meet those bandits; the bandits that nearly killed him. It was hard to believe it had all been set-up—well, not the fire, he figured _somebody _had started it. But Sensui? He was one of the people Hagiri least suspected! If at all!

But if this was true (and all the signs pointed that it was—what he knew about demons, the Chapter Black tape, what he knew about Sensui), then Sensui couldn't make the tunnel without their help. If he dropped out...he couldn't do it.

...or could he?

_I have to tell Mitarai, _he thought, getting to his feet and sprinting for the cave exit, _I can't let him walk right into his own death! _

_I have to get him to quit—he'll listen to me. Sensui may be able to go on without one of us, but two? Never. Mitarai'll listen to me...he'll believe me, he has to—_

"I don't believe you."

"What?" He stopped, mid-sentence. Mitarai hadn't just said what he thought he'd said...had he?

"I don't believe you," Mitarai repeated, folding his arms over his chest. "You're lying!" Since Kamiya had pronounced him healed earlier this morning, Mitarai had been roaming the streets all day, avoiding his school, his burned home, any and all contact with human life. Hagiri had finally found him on a street corner, standing on the curb under the streetlight.

"Don't be stupid!" Hagiri insisted, "Everyone knows what a demon is—they'll kill us _all_!"

"Mr. Sensui would never let them! He promised to keep us safe!"

"He _lied_!"

"He would never—!"

"He _did_! And if we _help _him in this lie, we'll not only be speeding up _our_ deaths but the deaths of people _EVERYWHERE!_"

"NO!"

"Do you want that?" He took a step closer. "Do you want everyone to die?"

"We all deserve to!" Hagiri stopped, blinking in astonishment. Did he...did he really believe that? Had the Chapter Black video broken him so thoroughly he truly believed this?

Was he so broken before that this was all it took to push him over?

"You can't be serious."

"Don't you _remember_?" Mitarai cried, "It wasn't even three days ago, Hagiri—how could you forget that _they almost **killed ME?**_" He froze at Mitarai's words, hurt—shocked—horrified. How could—

"How could you _think _that?" He gripped Mitarai's shoulders so forcefully his knuckles turned white. "How could you possibly think I'd _ever _forget that?!"

"Then don't you under_stand_?" Blue eyes, full of betrayal and a belief he had to be warring with met purple, desperate and angry. "Mr. Sensui helped me—he cared enough about me to save my life!"

"Because if you died, it would ruin his plan!"

"He's the closest thing I have to a family!" His shoulders shook under Hagiri's grip. "Our group—with all of you, I feel the closest I've felt to belonging in my whole _life_! Like we're a family—and families _don't _plot against each other."

"He's not part of a family! The only thing he cares about is his precious tunnel—"

"I don't care!" Blinking, Mitarai forced his eyes up again to meet Hagiri's. "I'd die with him—that's what a family _does_! Live together, share together, **_die together._**"

"You _will_ die if you don't show some sense!"

"He'd _never_! Mr. Sensui would neverdo something like that—he wants us all to live to see the end of this. We have to."

"Have you heard _anything _I've been saying?" Despair combined with exasperation—he couldn't be hearing what he was hearing. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "He. Doesn't. Care!"

"Whoever said you have to love everyone in your family?!" Mitarai shot back, "Aren't there times when you hate your sister? Times when you wish she'd just go away and leave you alone?" His words struck home, and from the look in Mitarai's eyes, he knew it. "I'm sure that's how Mr. Sensui feels—it's just one of those passing things. He'll get over it. I know he will."

"Mitarai—"

"I can't keep believing everything's out to get me. I have to find my place and stick with it—and I have. This is right, Hagiri; I know it is. I know that we're doing the right thing...and even if we're not, I know that I can't abandon it. This is where I belong, and this is where I have to be." Purple stared at blue for a long, long moment. 't...be... "I'm sorry, Hagiri, but—"

"Don't." He let go, pushing his hands into his pockets, "I understand."

"Hagiri—" Hagiri shook his head.

"You just can't see it, Mitarai. I'm sorry for you. I really am. I'm sorry you believe what you do, but I can't change that." He turned away and looked up at the streetlight—anywhere but at Mitarai. Anywhere else. "I'm kind of glad, in a way—I'd never want to change you. I like you just the way you are—even if it means we'll both die for it."

"We won't," he heard Mitarai insist quietly. "We won't die." He closed his eyes. "You're not...you're not going to leave—are you?" Now was his chance—he could tell him. He could tell him everything—

"No."

--but he couldn't.

"I won't leave you."

It was just too hard to say anything other than that.

"Ever."

The words would not flow anywhere but in his thoughts.

Hagiri walked away.

_I'll stay; I'll be a part of your family. You said it yourself—you're willing to die for the family. So am I—I'll die for it. _

_I'll go along with this; just because if we all die at the hands of this monstrous tunnel, Sensui will die, too. He'll die from his own plan...and I will help him._

_I will die to see him dead._

_I'll die for you, Mitarai. _

_Only for you._

..::Owari::..


End file.
